Poverty

Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of Medicare, the compulsory federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled that this newspaper described as "just, humane and overdue" on the day it was signed into law. Today, more than 920,000 Marylanders are covered by Medicare, a small fraction of the 55 million (or one in six) Americans receiving benefits in some form. When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the legislation creating both Medicare and Medicaid (the means-tested insurance program for the poor), The Sun's editorial board fretted about the cost, about whether the then-stagnant economy already facing an increasingly expensive conflict in Vietnam could...

Related "Poverty" Articles

Since 1839, the Little Sisters of the Poor have served many elderly citizens who have limited resources. Embracing the social mission of the Catholic Church, these women operate homes throughout the world, including Philadelphia and Scranton, that...

President Barack Obama called the Internet "one of the most significant democratizing influences the world has ever known." However, for many, such as Tracy Emerson of West Philadelphia, full connectivity remains out of reach.
Emerson is a...

With Donald Trump and his reported $9 billion and many more like him, why are there 50 million people living in poverty? That shouldn't be in this country.We've got to lead by example and work together as a team to help these people, and we will achieve...

Alan Jennings looked down at his cellphone as the number for Bethlehem developer Lou Pektor lit up.
Pektor was planning to build 50 upscale town homes on seven acres in Bethlehem Township, right after evicting people living in 43 mobile homes on his...

HARRISBURG — Since he introduced his $33.8 billion budget nearly three months ago, Gov. Tom Wolf has toured the state, visiting schools to press his plans to spend heavily on education. On Tuesday, Wolf continued that publicity tour at a different venue —...

We all know the old adage that solving other people's problems is easier than solving our own. Presently we see this on display in Allentown as the mayor attempts to fix the city schools by taking control of the school board. To this end, he has heavily...

The record high American graduation rate masks large gaps among low income students and those with disabilities compared to their peers. There are also wide disparities among states in how well they are tackling the issue. "This year, we need to...

WASHINGTON — Even as America's high school graduation rate has reached historic highs, the gains aren't consistent.
Students with disabilities, low-income and minority students have failed to catch up with their peers, although some states are doing...

What would you call a school where more than half the students have such limited financial means that they qualify for a free- or reduced-price lunch?Here's what we should be calling it: normal.According to a recent report from the Southern Education...

Neighborhoods matter.That's the upshot of two fascinating new studies from Harvard economist Raj Chetty and his colleagues. In the 1990s, the federal government launched an experiment, called the Moving to Opportunity project. It created a lottery for...

Before there was a funeral and protest, then violence, curfews and canceled ballgames in Baltimore this week, there were other chapters in the life of this city that must be remembered.Just a few years ago, Wells Fargo agreed to pay millions of dollars to...

NEW YORK — New York City aims to lift 800,000 people out of poverty's clutches within a decade — more than the total living in Charlotte, N.C., the 16th biggest city in the United States — by launching a program that has drawn both applause for its...

Poverty looks pretty great if you're not living in it. The government gives you free money to spend on steak and lobster, on tattoos and spa days, on — why not? — cruise vacations and psychic visits.Enough serious-minded people seem to think this is...

Don Quixote tilted at windmills. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie seems bent on running for president, even after his reputation took a whack over that traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge. Even more improbably, he wants to campaign on a sweeping...

The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate is asking state regulators to halt PPL's proposed $167.5 million rate hike, in part because it would unfairly pick on low-income ratepayers.In a 10-page complaint filed this week, the office argues that PPL's...

Is Obamacare enrollment stalling?That's the suggestion of a recent New York Times article that basically looks at the enrollment differences between the Affordable Care Act's state and federal exchanges. Many states that had good enrollment for the 2014...

The Diocese of Allentown has allocated $95,000 in Poverty Relief Fund grants to 15 programs and agencies, according to a news release.The money is from a collection taken up in the 94 parishes of the diocese in the third week of November. Applications for...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says Pennsylvania has the largest spending gap between rich and poor school districts — and that must change.
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that high-poverty school...

This month is the 50th anniversary of the release of "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action," otherwise known as the Moynihan Report. This report, then and now, is a controversial policy paper on the status of the black family and the...

Allentown School District has chosen an educator who was once a low-income teen mother to lead Building 21 Allentown, the new high school it will open this fall.
Janine Mathesz, who has worked as a principal and college professor, said she is excited...